Vehicle-spring.



P. N. BMLBY. vEHIcLB SPRING. APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1908.

91 5,337; Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

A 'lllllllllllllll III .I IHHIII 1f Q |l||llllllllllilllllllllllllllllllll 1415 yA-'l m IIIIHIIIIIIIIQHMMMMLII!IIIIIIIIIIIHI I iii'll mz "onus rrrlu FRANK N. Eh/ILEY, OF CREAMRIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Application filed September 21, 1908. Serial No. 454,017.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK N. EMLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Creamridge, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Springs, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to wagon springs and more particularly to a combination spring for vehicles wherein a plurality of springs shall act in succession according to the load which is placed upon the vehicle.

The object of my invention is to provide a spring of this character wherein one of the spring elements shall be normally out of action, unless a heavy enough weight is placed thereupon to compress the other of the spring elements in which case both of the elements will be brought into action, and both will resist the weight or pressure placed upon them.

The invention consists in providing a ve hicle axle with a spring adapted to sustain an ordinary load to which spring is attached another spring adapted to be brought into contact with the axle and under tension when the first named spring has been sufficiently de ressed. n

In the rawings I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention and therein Figure 1, is a side view of an axle with my combination springs attached thereto. Fig. 2, is a side View of the same under the eHect of a heavy load. Fig. 3, is an end view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4, is a plan view thereof.

In the drawings 2 designates a vehicle axle preferably downwardly bowed at its middle, in order that it may not come in contact with the bolster of the vehicle. The primary spring element of my combination is formed of springs 3. These are bowed springs formed of two or more 'leaves and having their ends upwardly turned and then bent around the ends of shackle bolts 4. These bolts 4 extend beneath the axle and are held thereto by a U-shaped clip 5, whose ends are perforated for the passage of the shackle bolt 4.

The clip 5 is held to the axle by a plate 6, folded or bent to form an eye 6 to artly inclose the top of the clip and adapte to lie upon and be attached to the upper face of the axle end. rIhis axle end on each si e of the clip 5 by U- shaped clips 7, 7 whose ends are screw apart.

late 6 is held to thel threaded and pass through a plate 9. Nuts 9 engage withl the screw threaded ends to clamp the clip downl against the axle and thus hold the plate 6 in place. It will be seen that this construction prevents the clip 5 from moving laterally along the axle while allowing it to turn slightly in the eye The primary spring element acts in all respects like the ordinary spring under a light load, but it is relatively light, and hence alone would not properly support a heavy load. I therefore combine with it the secondary spring element likewise composed of leaf springs 1() of ordinary construction, but iiatter, that is having a less degree of bow than the springs 3. The springs are attached at their middle to the springs 3 by bolts or rivets 11, and the ends extend upward above the plane of the axle 2 and normally in the position shown in Fig. 1.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the primary element is composed of two sets of springs 3, arranged parallel to each other on each side of the axle 2, and that there are two sets of springs 10 also parallel to each other, and superposed upon the springs 3. I do not wish however to be limited to this, as each element might be composed of one set of springs alone, or a greater number than two sets. At its ends each spring 10 of the secondary element is bent around a shackle bolt 12 by which the two springs 10 on either side are connected together.

Spacing washers 13 are arranged on bolt 12 between the spring elements to hold them Preferably in order to reinforce and assist the element 10 I provide auxiliary springs 14 which engage at one end with the middle of the shackle bolt 12, and the other ends4 are made fast to the axle 2 inward of the clips 7 by clips 1.5 of the same character as the clips 7, 7.

Ity will be seen from Fig. 1, that the washers 13 separate the ends of the springs 10 from the auxiliary springs 14, thus acting to space the springs from each other, and in connection with the bolts 12 to hold them rigidly in place.

The operation of my device is as follows: Under ordinary circumstances only the springs 3 come into play, the ends of the springs 10 remaining in the position shown in Fig. l. lhen however, a greater weight is placed upon the springs, it causes the springs 3 to be forced downward, until the ends of the springs 10 contact with the upper other, thelower of saidy springs being at-.

surface of the axle. Both of the springs?) and 10 will then be brought into actionvto support the load, and the totall effect will be that of a spring ol four leaves insteadiofai spring of two leaves.

It isv obvious that in place of: two springs having about the same amount oli/tension, I might make one ofthe springsconsiderably stronger than the other, but I have found by experiment that it is ordinarily sufficient tol have the springs 10V of the same strength as: thesprings: 3.

I doy not wish-to be limited of course tothe application of thisspring, as it might be used for alltma-nner of vehicles, and indeed in any situation whereinl springs of thischaracter would .be of value. Neither do I wish to be limitedv `to the exact manner whereby the springsare attached to the axle, nor. to the use ofthe auxiliary springs- 14, as these might be omitted without departingl from the broad idea of my device.

Having thus described my inventionl what I claim. as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

vl. Avehicle spring consistingl of'a plurality ol"spring.elementssuperposed one upon the tached normally to the axle, the-uppermost spring element beingnormally out o'l contact withxthe axle but adapted to contact with. the axle and to be placedv under tension when the springs are depressed.

2. In a'vehicle, an axle having itscentral portion bowed downwardly, a primary spring.- element. consisting of two parallelv multi-leaved" springs upwardly bowed' atv theircenterand attached at their-ends to shackle: bolts, pivoted; clips through which said i shackle .bolts pass means for attaching saidl clips: to the axle, a secondaryv spring elementv comprising two parallel multileaved' springs of` a less degreeY ofcurvature than thersprings. ofthe primary element',- the ends ofYV said secondary springs being upwardly turned above` the upper face of the axle, shackle bolts connecting the ends of saidsecondary springs, auxlliary springs connected to the middle of said shackle bolts and,V extending downward to theface, of. the axle, clamps for attaching the ends of said auxiliary springs to the axle and spacing washers interposed between said auxiliary springs and said secondary springs;

3l. In a vehicle,` an axle havinga down-- wardly bowed centralportion, a primary spring element composed ofV two parallelI limiti-leaved upwardly bowed springs, shackle bolts passing-beneath the ends of the axle around` which the ends of saidprif mary springs are bent, U-shaped clipsengagingover the axle through which-'said shackle bolts pass, plates holding saidV clips to the face ofthe axle, clips clamping eachV olfV said plates to the axlel end, a secondary spring` element composed' of* two parallel multileaved upwardlyy bowed springs having a less degree of'curvature'than the springs. of the'primary element, theends of said springs being upwardly turned andnormally extend+ ing upward to a point above the' upper face off said axle, sliackl'evbolts connecting the ends oils-aid springs, auxiliary springs'each'oli* which has one endl engagingV around its adj a'- cent shackle bolt, spacing washers betweenY said auxiliary springs and the said secondary springs and clips engaging overl the v ends; ofy

said auxiliary springs and' aroundVl said'laxlev andy clamping said? auxiliary springs tothe axle.`

In testimony whereof" I* havel signed my name to this speciiicationintlie'pres'ence 01" two subscribing witnesses;

FRAN-K N.. EMLEY.

Witnesses:

Rox EMLEY', GnARLEsf Gf, Eimer.Y 

